


Onus

by seraphichan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, because cats are...pawesome, is shot, ish, the return of Dander the feisty floof
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 17:58:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9914306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphichan/pseuds/seraphichan
Summary: Levi wonders if this is normal, if you just invite the guy you met while picking out a cat over to help with said cat.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A continuation of [this](http://seraphichan.tumblr.com/post/156905710880/dander)

Levi calls Eren that night.

“She’s not eating.”

“Uh? Who is--”

“It’s Levi. From earlier. At the shelter,” he explains haltingly.

This is a bad idea. Eren’s not going to remember, let alone care. He probably meets so many people a day, probably gives his number out all the time.

“Oh! I didn’t recognize your voice over the phone. I’m sorry.” He laughs sheepishly then clears his throat. “If Dander’s not eating it’s probably because she’s not hungry. We actually fed everyone before you arrived, so…”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I forgot to tell you.”

“Yeah. Well, I mean...Bye.” Levi hangs up the phone and puts his head in his hands. “Stupid,” he berates himself.

Dander rubs against his leg and meows at him. Levi peeks at her through his fingers.

“You could have told me you already ate,” he says.

She swishes her tail and yawns. Levi rolls his eyes and takes the bowl of food from the floor, covers it with plastic wrap and sticks it in the fridge for tomorrow.

+++++

He calls Eren again the next day.

“Hel--”

“She’s still not eating. It’s Levi,” he adds, remembering Eren’s confusion from last night.

“Yeah, I know. I saved you number just in case.” He pauses. “If that’s okay.”

Levi shrugs, then realizes Eren can’t see him. “Sure.”

“Good,” he sighs in relief.

“So, Dander?”

“Right! In this case she might just need time to adjust to her new environment. Be patient with her.”

“Okay...hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Sorry I keep bothering you.”

“You aren’t.”

Levi doesn’t believe him, but he’s too tired to argue so he lets it go.

“If you’re still having trouble tomorrow, call me, okay?”

“I guess,” he says and hangs up. He stares at the phone in his hand for a few seconds before sighing. “For fucks sake, what is wrong with me?”

He goes and sits heavily on the couch, watches as Dander wanders into the room. She sniffs at her food bowl, ignores what’s inside, then goes over to Levi. She hops onto the couch and starts kneading at his legs.

“Ow,” Levi says without really meaning it. He can only sort of feel her claws through his jeans.

Eventually she settles on his lap, eyes closing as she purrs, one paw still slowly, absently kneading at his knee.

Levi reaches up and starts to pet her, keeps petting her until he falls asleep.

+++++

Levi’s thumb hovers over Eren’s number only a moment before he says “Screw it” and hits the call button. So what if Eren, a person he’s barely known exists for three days, hates him for being a mopey, annoying fuckwit. He is not going to kill this cat.

“Levi!”

Eren’s tone, which sounds happy that Levi called of all things, startles him.

“Levi?”

“...I’m here.”

“Dander still hasn’t eaten?”

“No.”

Eren hums. “This is going to sound weird, but if I could...come over maybe? I could see what’s wrong?”

Levi opens his mouth, closes it again when he realizes he has no idea what the hell to say.

“Or you could describe stuff to me over the phone,” Eren amends quickly. “I didn’t meant to--”

“It’s fine. You can come.”

“...Really?”

Levi wonders if this is normal, if you just invite the guy you met while picking out a cat over to help with said cat. Well, if Eren is secretly an ax murdering psycho then so be it. Maybe Dander will eat Levi’s dead body. Then she will be fed and Levi won’t have to worry about anything anymore.

“Yeah.”

+++++

Eren arrives an hour later.

“Your place is nice,” he says as his eyes wander around Levi’s apartment.

“It’s a mess,” Levi says because he feel like it’s something he should say. His apartment is immaculate, he knows. His ability to clean is the only thing he still feels confident in.

“If this is what you consider messy, you should definitely not see where I live,” Eren laughs. “I can see myself in your floor,” he says in awe. 

“So…” Levi prompts after allowing Eren some time marvel at the high shine of the tiling.

“Right! Where do you have Dander’s food?”

Levi leads him to the kitchen.

“There’s your problem,” he says, pointing to the full food dish.

Levi raises an eyebrow at him. “Yeah. She won’t eat. I told you that.”

Eren shakes his head. “No, I mean it’s next to her water. Cats in the wild don’t eat next to their water source because of the potential for contamination. It’s a trait that carries over into domesticated cats, too, so if you separate the two she’ll probably eat.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Most people don’t.” Eren shrugs. “It’s no big deal. Can I take a look at the rest?” he asks.

Levi nods and Eren strides past him to peek around at his apartment, commenting as he goes.

“You should keep every room door open just so she has the option of exploring and doesn’t feel trapped. The litter box is in the bathroom?”

“Yeah...is that okay?”

“Is she using it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it is. Do you let her climb up there?” he asks, indicating a series of shelves along the wall of the sitting room.

“She lets herself climb up there,” Levi answers. “I don’t have anything to keep on the shelves so I don’t care. Cats like high places, right?”

“Yep.” He pauses, eyes roaming the apartment a bit more before landing on Levi. “You’re doing great,” he says.

Levi snorts. The shaky ability to take care of the most independent of animals didn’t mean he was doing anything of the sort.

“Thanks,” he says anyway.

“Maybe…I can come again?” Eren asks slowly.

Levi frowns. “You still don’t think Dander will eat?”

“No, I’m sure she will. I meant as a friend.”

“I barely know you.”

“But I want to know you. If you’ll let me.”

Levi is at a loss for words again. Something that seems to happen a lot around Eren. He’ll have to talk to Hange about that. Which means he’ll have to tell them about letting a complete stranger into his apartment because the idea of becoming cat food didn’t sound so bad.

That will be an interesting session.

A nudge at his leg makes Levi jump, makes him notice he is staring intently at the floor. Dander meows at him and Levi lifts his gaze to Eren who is standing there waiting for an answer.

Levi shrugs stiffly. It’s not a yes, it’s not a no, but it’s all he has to give.

Eren seems happy enough about it, a smile stretching across his face from ear to ear.

“I’ll call you,” Levi says after a few moments.

Eren’s smile becomes impossibly wider.


End file.
